Far Out

Product Notes

FAR OUT SYNOPSIS Dr. Arthur Axelrod, an optometrist and part-time astronomer/physicist, introduces the audience to McCarthyville, New Mexico; the time is 1958 (PROLOGUE). A mysterious meteor crash-lands in the desert, and the local teenagers wonder what it is (THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE). At the same time, Dr. Axelrod's geeky son, Milton, is mocked by the cool teens, led by Jeff, the high school's star quarterback, his girlfriend Lucille, and Sondra, the pretty girl-next-door. Milton wonders what it would be like to be cool (THE POPULAR TEEN IN TOWN THAT EVERYONE LOVES). Sondra thinks Milton could change if he wanted to, but Jeff disagrees (WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET). Aliens arrive soon after the meteor lands: their Supreme Leader is a walking eyeball with lobster claws. They have come because earth is an eyesore to them; the remedy is to transform the population into mutants, and they begin by transforming Dr. Axelrod's fiancée into a cannibalistic zombie. The aliens want the optometrist, Dr. Axelrod, to help them (WE'RE WAGIN' AN INVASION-YOU'LL BE SINGIN' THE BLUES) by reviving an old invention of his that will convert humans to hideous monsters. When Dr. Axelrod refuses, the aliens stab him with a brain-draining needle and make him their malevolent pawn, and the transformed doctor relishes his abhorrent sensations (YOU'D BETTER KEEP AN EYE ON ME). The next morning, Sondra reflects on Milton and Jeff, trying to decide which she likes better: Jeff is cool but mean, and Milton is sweet but nerdy (I WISH I KNEW FOR SURE). At school, Mrs. Dweedleheimer, a teacher, offers both students and theatre audience a lesson in civil defense preparedness (THE DUCK-AND-COVER FUGUE). As she ends her song, a boom is heard-an explosion in one of the toilets-perpetrated by Jeff, who then blames Milton. At the malt shop, Jeff and the teens give Milton pointers on how to change his life for the better, with a patriotic production number (BE A CLEAN-CUT EISENHOWER GUY). Jeff then makes a pass at Sondra, but Lucille intervenes and attacks Sondra. Before a cat fight can ensue, Milton intercedes and saves her. Impressed that Milton came to her rescue, Sondra reveals the affection she feels for him, & agrees to accompany him to the Sr. Sock Hop (DON'T YOU THINK IT'S AMAZING?). Later that night, Milton returns home to tell his father about Sondra, but the crazed doctor alters Milton into a hideous monster with a huge lobster-like claw (ACT I FINALE). Act II begins at the Senior Sock Hop (IT'S OUTTA SIGHT!). Sondra enters alone. Milton-as-Monster crashes the party, (THE SOCK HOP BALLET) grabs Sondra, and escapes. Doctor Axelrod arrives, is flung to the ground by Milton, and reverts to his old self because Milton's blow dislodged the alien needle in his neck. He tells the teens about the extraterrestrial plot. They leave to find the town sheriff, and Dr. Axelrod returns to his lab to find a solution to the aliens (FEAR DON'T MEAN DIDDLY). The sheriff doesn't believe the teens' aliens story. His friend, Colonel Drake, enters to reveal the military intelligence that the army has on the aliens and enlists the teens to help him (NOBODY DOES IT LIKE THE U.S. ARMY). Meanwhile, in the desert, Milton reveals to Sondra that he's been altered against his will. Sondra wants to know more (WHAT'S THE STORY?); she hasn't yet learned that he is the Milton she once loved. Back in his basement lab, Dr. Axelrod is visited by the Aliens and Stella (IT'S SUPPERTIME AT THE ZOMBIE BALL). The doctor outsmarts the aliens as they limbo into his device, and are disintegrated. The Supreme Leader and Stella escape to his subterranean lair. Meanwhile, in the desert, Sondra discovers that the "monster" is Milton and assures him that her devotion is undying and that their love will persevere (AS LONG AS OUR LOVE STAYS ALIVE). Sheriff Gilroy, Cnl. Drake, and the teenagers find the Supreme Leader's secret base. Milton and Sondra arrive, to fight the Supreme Leader. Dr. Axelrod bursts in with a beaker of alien-toxic waste; Milton grabs it and throws it at the Supreme Leader, who is destroyed. (ACT TWO FINALE). This final act also transformed many of the characters: Colonel Drake becomes a pacifist, Milton becomes like James Dean, and Jeff becomes a nerd. In celebration of this happy ending, Milton, Sondra and company count their blessings (FINALE ULTIMO). BRIAN BREEN is an award-winning composer, arranger, teacher, and musician. Among his compositions are a musical adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, which received a reading at the York Theatre in New York City in 2003; a score for a film short called Pray, which was included in the 2003 New York Film Festival; a children's musical The King Who Stole Spring, winner of the 1997 Jackie White Memorial Children's Playwriting Contest; a soap-opera spoof called As the Moment Burns; an original version of Pinocchio; Hey, Cinderella!; The Autobiography of Santa Claus; KidZone, a pilot for a children's variety TV show; and Far Out! (a sci-fi musical), which received a reading at the York Theatre in 2008. Current and future projects include an adaptation of Jackie Gleason's film, Gigot, and an adaptation of William Wells Brown's novel, Clotelle. Brian's music has been well reviewed. The music for Santa Claus was described as "sweetly composed." The music for Far Out! Was called "diverse and fabulous..."; another review praised the fact that "each composition alternates between rock and show tempos, melodies and harmonies, rhymes and free verse, creating a rich musical hybrid." His music runs the stylistic gamut from folk to swing, calypso to pop-all the ingredients of contemporary musical theatre. Brian has also arranged musical works that have been performed off-Broadway, including The Little Princess, an original musical written by Robert Sickinger and Mel Atkey, based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett book that was also made into a movie starring Shirley Temple. Sickinger's version was well reviewed in The New York Times, which said it "had charm,...adventurous subplots,...and lovely music; Backstage wrote 'A Little Princess...enchants with carefully drawn characters, nicely written songs, and a comfortably old-fashioned feel." Brian has worked with many wonderful musicians, including Elena Shaddow, who recently appeared on Broadway in Nine; Kristin Danielle Klabunde, who played Cosette in Les Miserables on Broadway; Jeanne Montano, who played Grisabella in Cats on Broadway; Scott Beck, who appeared in Broadway's Saturday Night Fever. Brian has also directed productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Laramie Project, The Trojan Women, The Miracle Worker, The Wizard of Oz, The House of Blue Leaves, Smile, No No Nanette, Godspell, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Steel Magnolias, The Importance of Being Earnest, Don't Dress For Dinner, Driving Miss Daisy; and Groucho: A Life in Revue. Brian has also worked as a sound designer, for both his own productions and others. Memorable sound designs include The Effect of Gamma Rays, A Christmas Carol, Don't Drink the Water, and The Trojan Women. Brian has played guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, and keyboards for many regional musical productions, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, Chess, Evita, Anything Goes, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Pajama Game, Bye Bye Birdie, Batboy, Seussical, Batboy, Once on this Island, Godspell, and Pippin. Brian has also entertained, directed, and taught hundreds of children of all ages: he was one of the originators of The Meadow Kids, a musical & theatrical group of children who sing and dance to family and children's music (traditional, patriotic, and Disney). With the Meadow Kids, Brian has performed his Children's Music Program at parks, summer camps, and beaches & boardwalks throughout New Jersey. Brian is a member of the Red Bank Music Community, a regional group of songwriters and musicians. He is also a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 399. He has taught theatre classes at Monmouth University, where he was an adjunct professor. Currently he teaches theatre at Collier High School, an alternative school in Wickatunk, New Jersey. In addition, he teaches guitar privately, and directs a summer musical theatre camp. He has a bachelor's degree in theater and a minor in music from The Catholic University of America. MICHAEL CHARTIER was a Speech and Theater major at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and has been actively involved in professional theater for over 25 years as an actor, director, writer, and lyricist. He was the Master of Ceremonies for the world famous Royal Lippizzan Stallion Show and has performed a variety of roles for the illustrious children's theater touring troup, the Chamber Theater Repertory Company of Boston. With Robert Cioffi, he wrote the book and lyrics to a musical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey, and with Brian Breen, he has written the book and lyrics for Far Out, a new 50's sci-fi musical comedy, The Fall of the House of Usher, a rock opera based on the Poe story, and the book and lyrics for Gigot, a musical adaptation of the 1960's Jackie Gleason film. He also created lyrics for The King Who Stole Spring, a children's musical that won 2nd prize in a prestigious national playwriting competition.

FAR OUT SYNOPSIS Dr. Arthur Axelrod, an optometrist and part-time astronomer/physicist, introduces the audience to McCarthyville, New Mexico; the time is 1958 (PROLOGUE). A mysterious meteor crash-lands in the desert, and the local teenagers wonder what it is (THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE). At the same time, Dr. Axelrod's geeky son, Milton, is mocked by the cool teens, led by Jeff, the high school's star quarterback, his girlfriend Lucille, and Sondra, the pretty girl-next-door. Milton wonders what it would be like to be cool (THE POPULAR TEEN IN TOWN THAT EVERYONE LOVES). Sondra thinks Milton could change if he wanted to, but Jeff disagrees (WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET). Aliens arrive soon after the meteor lands: their Supreme Leader is a walking eyeball with lobster claws. They have come because earth is an eyesore to them; the remedy is to transform the population into mutants, and they begin by transforming Dr. Axelrod's fiancée into a cannibalistic zombie. The aliens want the optometrist, Dr. Axelrod, to help them (WE'RE WAGIN' AN INVASION-YOU'LL BE SINGIN' THE BLUES) by reviving an old invention of his that will convert humans to hideous monsters. When Dr. Axelrod refuses, the aliens stab him with a brain-draining needle and make him their malevolent pawn, and the transformed doctor relishes his abhorrent sensations (YOU'D BETTER KEEP AN EYE ON ME). The next morning, Sondra reflects on Milton and Jeff, trying to decide which she likes better: Jeff is cool but mean, and Milton is sweet but nerdy (I WISH I KNEW FOR SURE). At school, Mrs. Dweedleheimer, a teacher, offers both students and theatre audience a lesson in civil defense preparedness (THE DUCK-AND-COVER FUGUE). As she ends her song, a boom is heard-an explosion in one of the toilets-perpetrated by Jeff, who then blames Milton. At the malt shop, Jeff and the teens give Milton pointers on how to change his life for the better, with a patriotic production number (BE A CLEAN-CUT EISENHOWER GUY). Jeff then makes a pass at Sondra, but Lucille intervenes and attacks Sondra. Before a cat fight can ensue, Milton intercedes and saves her. Impressed that Milton came to her rescue, Sondra reveals the affection she feels for him, & agrees to accompany him to the Sr. Sock Hop (DON'T YOU THINK IT'S AMAZING?). Later that night, Milton returns home to tell his father about Sondra, but the crazed doctor alters Milton into a hideous monster with a huge lobster-like claw (ACT I FINALE). Act II begins at the Senior Sock Hop (IT'S OUTTA SIGHT!). Sondra enters alone. Milton-as-Monster crashes the party, (THE SOCK HOP BALLET) grabs Sondra, and escapes. Doctor Axelrod arrives, is flung to the ground by Milton, and reverts to his old self because Milton's blow dislodged the alien needle in his neck. He tells the teens about the extraterrestrial plot. They leave to find the town sheriff, and Dr. Axelrod returns to his lab to find a solution to the aliens (FEAR DON'T MEAN DIDDLY). The sheriff doesn't believe the teens' aliens story. His friend, Colonel Drake, enters to reveal the military intelligence that the army has on the aliens and enlists the teens to help him (NOBODY DOES IT LIKE THE U.S. ARMY). Meanwhile, in the desert, Milton reveals to Sondra that he's been altered against his will. Sondra wants to know more (WHAT'S THE STORY?); she hasn't yet learned that he is the Milton she once loved. Back in his basement lab, Dr. Axelrod is visited by the Aliens and Stella (IT'S SUPPERTIME AT THE ZOMBIE BALL). The doctor outsmarts the aliens as they limbo into his device, and are disintegrated. The Supreme Leader and Stella escape to his subterranean lair. Meanwhile, in the desert, Sondra discovers that the "monster" is Milton and assures him that her devotion is undying and that their love will persevere (AS LONG AS OUR LOVE STAYS ALIVE). Sheriff Gilroy, Cnl. Drake, and the teenagers find the Supreme Leader's secret base. Milton and Sondra arrive, to fight the Supreme Leader. Dr. Axelrod bursts in with a beaker of alien-toxic waste; Milton grabs it and throws it at the Supreme Leader, who is destroyed. (ACT TWO FINALE). This final act also transformed many of the characters: Colonel Drake becomes a pacifist, Milton becomes like James Dean, and Jeff becomes a nerd. In celebration of this happy ending, Milton, Sondra and company count their blessings (FINALE ULTIMO). BRIAN BREEN is an award-winning composer, arranger, teacher, and musician. Among his compositions are a musical adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, which received a reading at the York Theatre in New York City in 2003; a score for a film short called Pray, which was included in the 2003 New York Film Festival; a children's musical The King Who Stole Spring, winner of the 1997 Jackie White Memorial Children's Playwriting Contest; a soap-opera spoof called As the Moment Burns; an original version of Pinocchio; Hey, Cinderella!; The Autobiography of Santa Claus; KidZone, a pilot for a children's variety TV show; and Far Out! (a sci-fi musical), which received a reading at the York Theatre in 2008. Current and future projects include an adaptation of Jackie Gleason's film, Gigot, and an adaptation of William Wells Brown's novel, Clotelle. Brian's music has been well reviewed. The music for Santa Claus was described as "sweetly composed." The music for Far Out! Was called "diverse and fabulous..."; another review praised the fact that "each composition alternates between rock and show tempos, melodies and harmonies, rhymes and free verse, creating a rich musical hybrid." His music runs the stylistic gamut from folk to swing, calypso to pop-all the ingredients of contemporary musical theatre. Brian has also arranged musical works that have been performed off-Broadway, including The Little Princess, an original musical written by Robert Sickinger and Mel Atkey, based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett book that was also made into a movie starring Shirley Temple. Sickinger's version was well reviewed in The New York Times, which said it "had charm,...adventurous subplots,...and lovely music; Backstage wrote 'A Little Princess...enchants with carefully drawn characters, nicely written songs, and a comfortably old-fashioned feel." Brian has worked with many wonderful musicians, including Elena Shaddow, who recently appeared on Broadway in Nine; Kristin Danielle Klabunde, who played Cosette in Les Miserables on Broadway; Jeanne Montano, who played Grisabella in Cats on Broadway; Scott Beck, who appeared in Broadway's Saturday Night Fever. Brian has also directed productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Laramie Project, The Trojan Women, The Miracle Worker, The Wizard of Oz, The House of Blue Leaves, Smile, No No Nanette, Godspell, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Steel Magnolias, The Importance of Being Earnest, Don't Dress For Dinner, Driving Miss Daisy; and Groucho: A Life in Revue. Brian has also worked as a sound designer, for both his own productions and others. Memorable sound designs include The Effect of Gamma Rays, A Christmas Carol, Don't Drink the Water, and The Trojan Women. Brian has played guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, and keyboards for many regional musical productions, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, Chess, Evita, Anything Goes, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Pajama Game, Bye Bye Birdie, Batboy, Seussical, Batboy, Once on this Island, Godspell, and Pippin. Brian has also entertained, directed, and taught hundreds of children of all ages: he was one of the originators of The Meadow Kids, a musical & theatrical group of children who sing and dance to family and children's music (traditional, patriotic, and Disney). With the Meadow Kids, Brian has performed his Children's Music Program at parks, summer camps, and beaches & boardwalks throughout New Jersey. Brian is a member of the Red Bank Music Community, a regional group of songwriters and musicians. He is also a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 399. He has taught theatre classes at Monmouth University, where he was an adjunct professor. Currently he teaches theatre at Collier High School, an alternative school in Wickatunk, New Jersey. In addition, he teaches guitar privately, and directs a summer musical theatre camp. He has a bachelor's degree in theater and a minor in music from The Catholic University of America. MICHAEL CHARTIER was a Speech and Theater major at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and has been actively involved in professional theater for over 25 years as an actor, director, writer, and lyricist. He was the Master of Ceremonies for the world famous Royal Lippizzan Stallion Show and has performed a variety of roles for the illustrious children's theater touring troup, the Chamber Theater Repertory Company of Boston. With Robert Cioffi, he wrote the book and lyrics to a musical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey, and with Brian Breen, he has written the book and lyrics for Far Out, a new 50's sci-fi musical comedy, The Fall of the House of Usher, a rock opera based on the Poe story, and the book and lyrics for Gigot, a musical adaptation of the 1960's Jackie Gleason film. He also created lyrics for The King Who Stole Spring, a children's musical that won 2nd prize in a prestigious national playwriting competition.